Sushi Time

4^th time eating here. Love the freshness and quality of the fish especially for the price. Large rolls. Get there early if you want any Hamachi Toro. This is my go to place for sure.

Having tried so many different places I would say sushi time scores average to high average. The sashimi was great but the Philly role only average. The service is nice but the place in general rather underground.

Awesome hole-​in-​the-​wall sushi spot on Market Street. I had a flashback to NY when entering the restaurant. Be there first otherwise I’m sure you’re going to have to wait a while.

Quoted: What time is it? It’s Sushi time!
If yer lookin’ for fancy shmancy ultra deluxo this ain’t it.
But it’s a super cool place to grab some basic stuff.
Can’t beat the subterranean ambiance.

My, my, this place is small and almost not noticeable.
Tucked in a corner of the basement of a courtyard… I only happened to walk by when I picked up food from Dinosaur next door.
The fish is fresh, the cut is pretty decent, and the waiters are courteous and friendly. I think as a sit-​down place, it can be a bit dingy. Not to mention the out-​side bathroom. The decoration is also more on the eclectic side, but certainly fun.
The prices are good considering the quality of the fish and the portion (at least for SF standards), so four whole stars.

Good quality fish but not exactly a destination restaurant. Had the yellow tail sashimi, yellowtail belly and amberjack nigiri

Loved it! Large rolls, fresh fish, great happy hour deals! Don’t let the off street location scare you off … Tiny but mighty!

I’d come back multiple times a week to eat all their delicious sushi.
I don’t think you’ll find a fancy, chef’s omakase on the menu with fish imported from Tsukiji, but that doesn’t bother me because it’s good quality and affordable sushi. During happy hour, rolls are $ 5. I was expecting a small portion, but they were huge! Tasted fresh, too. I ordered the Alaska roll w/​salmon and avocado that melts in your mouth. All the rolls look pretty good so I can’t wait to come back and try more. 15 of their 18 rolls are all less than $ 7 and makes my wallet and tummy happy!
Also, super convenient to get to since it’s super close to Castro St MUNI. Lots of street parking nearby too.
Beware, the inside is tiny so if that’s not your thing, I’d go elsewhere. You can hear every conversation going on in the restaurant so that’s kind of interesting. Still, service is fairly fast and I think they do take out!

Fantastic sushi, very cute place. Love sitting by the bar. :)

Happy hour from 5:00 — 6:00 rolls around $ 5

This restaurant really didn’t look like a sushi restaurant (or any type of restaurant) from outside, other than the sign that says «Sushi Time» around it. It looked like a glass tube of a metro train car or something sticking out from a wall. The entrance was small, with lots of Japanese decorations, and the fun, cheerful decoration continued inside all the way from the entrance to the back. We were greeted with very warm smile and welcome by Japanese owner and staff. I was super happy to see that it was operated by Japanese people, that meant that I was going to have some good, authentic sushi!
Inside was a bit narrow, just like a train car. Even though it is located underground, the glass tube exterior brought in lots of light. In order to provide some privacy, they had bamboo and cloth covering on that side. Not many seating there, the sushi counter extended about half or a bit more than half of this «train car» shaped restaurant, and several tables and chairs behind it. Once it gets crowded, it can get a bit warm, since they don’t have any window or good ventilation (they had a fan running at the back to provide some air flow).
We went during the happy hour, and got some sashimi and sushi. They were fresh, nice portion, and very delicious. We were happy with everything we ordered, and even though the happy hour menu is not very much, but it was still worth it to go there for the happy hour. Read my full review on the restaurant and food on my food blog, foodlovergirl.

Adorable little place. I had a drink and appetizers here with my girlfriend the other night. We loved the ambience and the cheap (although limited) happy hour menu. The sushi was delicious and service was warm and homey.
I definitely recommend coming here although outside of happy hour it is definitely up there in cost.

Still love this place. Servers are very nice. I dropped my chopsticks like 3x and they were there immediately with new ones. Can be a little cramped at peak hours. Sushi served was kind of warm this time but still tasty

Tiny establishment tucked deep inside a subterranean arcade linking Market and 16^th Streets. It’s a very intimate and tightly packed place, with maybe a half a dozen seats at the bar, and probably just as many tables for two inside. If you’re looking for a quiet, private venue for a date, this might not be the best choice. And although the offerings are relatively inexpensive for a sushi joint, the portions are quite small, and unremarkably average in terms of taste.
Decent enough if you want to stay within the neighborhood, but keep in mind there are better experiences if you have the time and patience to venture further.

I’m not sure how this place is 4 stars. One star for the food and giving them their second star for good service. I was underwhelmed and disappointed. Maybe the mistake was starting off with the happy hour menu which was pricey for the lack of quality fish. The sashimi we ordered was bland. The rolls were decent but I prefer sushi over rolls. The Hamachi kama was boiled. Gross. Definitely will not be coming back
Another tip… Avoid the bathrooms. They will ruin your appetite

Honestly I think we can call this one of the best sushi places in San Francisco!
I got the eel GI Joe roll and the Barbie roll, they were both amazing and I can’t wait to try more of their delicious rolls!

I was excited to try a new sushi place… until I lost my appetite from the smell of being underground in the Castro District. Why did they build the restaurant here? I’m not sure. Maybe the rent was lower, which I could totally see why. The restaurant is super cramped, but the staff is nice. Kinda slow but whatever.
My friend and I started with the green salad, which was okay. The dressing was good. We ordered an assortment of nigiri and I thought the fish was decently fresh (yay) but the rice was mushy. The Barbie Roll (recommend by Unilocalers) was also disappointing. There was no real flavor. Anyways, I had a good time only because I was with good company, and we ordered a giant thing of sake. I think I’m just really annoyed by the smell of the outside (especially when you have to wait to be seated) and how claustrophobic the restaurant feels. Not a fun ambiance. Horrible for a date but good for desperate sushi cravings.

this place was pretty good! i was pleasantly surprised because it was 1) in the basement of a shopping center on market and 2) smelled INCREDIBLY FISHY. haha. gf and i sat down at the bar and immediately started with sapporo. the natural choice. we got 2 kinds of nigiri from the special menu — good but forgettable. we also got the crunch roll and the 10 piece sashimi to start. the sashimi was super good! nice cuts of fish and tasted good.
2^nd round was uni, eel, tamago, and the GI joe roll. the uni was super creamy and nomsies, eel was as expected — yum, but the tamago was so cold! im not sure what i was expecting — the flavor was good, but the ice cold egg with cold rice was not stellar.
dinner for 2 — $ 52 each. NOT BAD AT ALL!

So do you know about those sleeping tubes in Tokyo where Japanese businessmen too wasted on sake miss the last train to the ‘burbs? They end up overnight in those little capsule-​shaped compartments with their wives nary the wiser for their drunken escapades. I only bring those up because when I entered Sushi Time, that’s what it feels like. I walked by the sandwich sign for the place all the time, so my curiosity got the best of me one evening and I gave it a try. I walked down the staircase (photo:
), turned left and made the startling realization that the sushi bar and the tables next to the greenhouse-​like window are all this place has to offer (photo:
). Am I in the Ginza?
It was a good thing I was there early on a Monday evening since I was their first solo customer. Even though they told me to sit anywhere, I sat at the end of the sushi bar assuming this place would fill up quickly. It did, and I was fairly well scrunched into my little space. Sleeping tube redux. The menu is full of sushi and sashimi treats though not quite as fanciful as Takara Sushi nearby. For a breather, I started with the no-​risk $ 3.50 Edamame (photo:
). Pretty standard. I moved on to the $ 6.95 Kamikaze Roll, which turned out to be five pieces of yellowtail, avocado and scallion rolled in rice sprinkled with tobiko. On the same plate was a couple of Chutoro (Yellowtail Belly) Nigiri which were blessedly unaccessorized for maximum flavor (photo:
).
For my entrée, I ordered the $ 8.95 Baked Mussels, a quartet prepared almost like Oysters Rockefeller with the mussels mixed with crab meat, tobiko, panko crumbs and their own mayo sauce (photo:
). Even though it was fairly filling, they were just a bit too fussy for my taste. I probably should have gone for more rolls. Two young sushi makers were keeping busy in front of me, while one waitress handled the whole room. By the time I finished, I have to admit Sushi Time was a pretty adequate spot for a sushi fix in teh Castro, even if it does pale in comparison to the likes of Ino Sushi in Japantown or Akiko’s on Bush in the FiDi. Unless you really, really want to eat in a sleeping tube. I don’t think they let you sleep there though.
FOOD — 3 stars… sushi is pretty good, not outstanding and those baked mussels taste like they belong in another generation
AMBIANCE — 3 stars… sleeping tube
SERVICE — 3.5 stars… nice at first but increasingly elusive as it got crowded
TOTAL — 3 stars… tiny greenhouse of a sushi spot in the Castro provides a satisfactory sushi fix

10÷5… can I give that score? If I could I would.
Sushi Time is the best slightly hidden secret in the city.
As far as inexpensive sushi that is of wonderful quality; Sushi Time never disappoints.
Bento Box is perfect if you’re hungry. Sushi Combo A (B if you’re more hungry) is served up with perfect Sashimi and the best Spicy Tuna roll one can find.
The miso soup served without a spoon is nice and hot with perfect flavor and not overly salty.
The ginger salad with seasame seeds and a tangy peanut /​ginger vinegarette is just perfect.
This is by far my favorite place to start my Saturday night.
Fair warning the restaurant is the size of a shoe box, so it is not good for groups even in excess of 4.